General Information

Coach Routes - There is an extensive coach network available from Reception onwards. Older girls from Year 6 upwards can act as 'chaperones', escorting girls from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 from the coach to the First School. This service has also been extended to cover the early coach return in the afternoon. From Year 3 onwards, girls travel to and from the coach with their friends. The chaperone service is run by a member of the Parents' Guild.

For more information on the service click here.

Class size - In the First School there are two classes in each age of the three years. In each class the 20 girls are taught by a class teacher supported by a full time teaching assistant. The class groupings tend to remain the same throughout the First School. When girls move up to Year 3 there are two classes in each year with about 24 girls in each class. Each class is  made up of girls who have come up from our First School and new girls who join at  7+.  At the end of Year 4 the girls are mixed up before they go into Year 5.

Settling in - New parents are invited in to school to meet each other and the form teacher in the Summer Term. The girls joining Reception and Year 3 are invited to come into school for an afternoon in the second half of the Summer Term when they meet their form teacher and new classmates. Girls who join at other times are invited to spend a day in school before they join the Junior School. In September girls act as buddies to help and support the new girls.

Home/School Contact - All girls have a message book in which teachers and parents exchange messages and girls write their homework assignments. In the First School this book is checked each day for messages. Parents are always welcome to have a word with the form teacher at the end of the day; appointments are not necessary. If you do not collect your daughter and want to speak to the class teacher, you are welcome to phone and if the teacher is not free she will return your call later.

There are Curriculum Evenings at the beginning of the school year and Parents' Evenings in the Autumn and Spring Terms. Parents receive a full written report in the Summer Term. After the reports are sent out, parents are welcome to come in to discuss the report with their Form Teacher if they wish. 

Homework - Girls in the First School have a small amount of reading homework on a daily basis. In addition girls will have some other language or maths or finding out activity for homework once a week in Reception and Year 1. In Year 2 they have three 20 minutes homeworks per week.

Girls in the lower part of the Junior School have about thirty minutes of homework in an evening and this rises to about forty minutes at the top of the Junior School. We are always interested in quality rather than quantity and ask that parents cast a helpful eye over their daughter's homework.  The school does not set homework over the holidays. Girls need the time to rest and relax!

Individual Music Lessons - Girls can request lessons on any instrument from Year 3. In Year 2 some girls choose to learn the recorder or violin after school.  Instrumental lessons take place during a class music lesson, or a PE lesson, though not swimming. There is a waiting list for some instruments but girls are usually accommodated within the year.

Languages  - During their Junior School career, the girls are introduced to four languages. In Year 3, they learn Spanish, in Year 4 German and in Year 5 Mandarin. After-school clubs in the subsequent years enable the girls sustain their interest and develop their learning. In Year 6, in preparation for the Senior School, the girls start to learn French. Knowledge of a number of languages helps girls to make informed choices in Senior School.

All girls in Year 7 take Latin and French and in Year 8 they add either German or Spanish. At GCSE there is the opportunity to choose Russian or Greek and in the sixth-form Italian and Mandarin are also available.

After-School Activities - After School Clubs have burgeoned at North London and there is certainly something to excite every Lower School girl. Alongside a wide variety of sport, music, drama and art clubs we also offer the opportunity to get your hands dirty – Cookery and Gardening – to talk or to be at peace – Debating and Mind & Body – and a choice of foreign languages as well as science and Digital Photography. The clubs are run by staff from both the Senior and Junior school and unsurprisingly, are extremely popular

A late room is set up each day for girls who are waiting for older siblings or a 4.00pm coach. They may read quietly or start their homework.

Transfer to North London Collegiate Senior School - Our expectation is that all girls will naturally progress on to the Senior School. Occasionally the school, in conjunction with the parents, will decide that our Senior School is not the best option for a girl. This, however, is unusual.

The Parents' Guild organises social events for parents at North London Collegaite School and raises funds for bursaries and facilities according to the School's needs.

Regular events include the annual Fireworks Display, the Bring & Buy Sale, The Parents' Quiz and help with teas at Open Days, Taster Afternoons and Junior School functions. Parents also help with the chaperoning on the Junior School coaches.

Major events in recent times include the hugely successful International Fair (2008) and the Circus (2009)

The International Fair...

The Christmas Bring & Buy Sale in the Junior School..